Jay Mahat, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Systems Biology
Principal Investigator, Laboratory of Immunogenomics at bi[o]hub

Overview

Dig Bijay earned his B.S. in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Bioinformatics from Towson University, completed his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Genetics at Cornell University with John Lis, and conducted postdoctoral training in Dr. Phillip Sharp’s laboratory at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT.

Academic Appointments

Assistant Professor, Department of Systems Biology
Principal Investigator, Laboratory of Immunogenomics at bi[o]hub

Credentials & Experience

Education & Training

PhD, Molecular Biology & Genetics, Minor: Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University
BS, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, & Bioinformatics, Towson University

Research

The Mahat lab investigates how non-coding DNA controls gene expression in health and disease. Focusing on enhancers that shape the tumor immune microenvironment in gastrointestinal cancers and those harboring genetic risk variants for autoimmune disorders, his group develops and applies single-cell transcriptomic assays, integrating them with AI and machine-learning frameworks to map gene-regulatory programs at high temporal resolution. Their goal is to identify and target disease-driving enhancers to advance new therapeutic strategies for immune dysfunction diseases.

Selected Publications

Mahat DB, Kumra H, Castro SA, Metcalf E, Nguyen K, Morisue R, Ho WW, Chen I, Sullivan B, Yim LH, Singh A, Fu J, Waterton SK, Cheng YC, Moiso E, Chauhan VP, Silva HM, Spranger S, Jain RK, Sharp PA. Mutant p53 exploits enhancers to elevate immunosuppressive chemokine expression and impair immune checkpoint inhibitors in pancreatic cancer. Immunity. 2025 Jul 8;58(7):1688-1705.e9.

Mahat DB, Tippens ND, Martin-Rufino JD, Waterton SK, Fu J, Blatt SE, Sharp PA. Single-cell nascent RNA sequencing unveils coordinated global transcription. Nature. 2024 Jul;631(8019):216-223.

Boija A, Mahat DB, Zare A, Holmqvist PH, Philip P, Meyers DJ, Cole PA, Lis JT, Stenberg P, Mannervik M. CBP Regulates Recruitment and Release of Promoter-Proximal RNA Polymerase II. Mol Cell. 2017 Nov 2;68(3):491-503.e5

Mahat DB, Salamanca HH, Duarte FM, Danko CG, Lis JT.Mammalian Heat Shock Response and Mechanisms Underlying Its Genome-wide Transcriptional Regulation. Mol Cell. 2016 Apr 7;62(1):63-78.

Mahat DB, Kwak H, Booth GT, Jonkers IH, Danko CG, Patel RK, Waters CT, Munson K, Core LJ, Lis JT. Base-pair-resolution genome-wide mapping of active RNA polymerases using precision nuclear run-on (PRO-seq). Nat Protoc. 2016 Aug;11(8):1455-76.

Mahat DB, Lis JT. Use of conditioned media is critical for studies of regulation in response to rapid heat shock. Cell Stress Chaperones. 2017 Jan;22(1):155-162.

Mahat DB, Brennan-Laun SE, Fialcowitz-White EJ, Kishor A, Ross CR, Pozharskaya T, Rawn JD, Blackshear PJ, Hassel BA, Wilson GM. Coordinated expression of tristetraprolin post-transcriptionally attenuates mitogenic induction of the oncogenic Ser/Thr kinase Pim-1. PLoS One. 2012;7(3):e33194.